
Standard Deviations with Dr. Daniel Crosby
The Standard Deviations podcast is a weekly production that looks at money, mind and meaning, all through a psychological lens. Each week, psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Daniel Crosby interviews a fascinating new guest, experts in everything from finance to literature to wellness. Each guest provides listeners with three concrete ways to apply what was learned that week, ensuring that weekly listening becomes part of a path to a richer life. Episodes are brief, research-based, and designed to fit perfectly within your commute time. So, tune in for practical news that will help you make more, think more and be more.
Learn more by following Dr. Daniel @danielcrosby or visit the website at www.standarddeviationspod.com/
Standard Deviations is presented by Orion.
Latest episodes

Mar 10, 2022 • 46min
Jackie Wilke - Why You Are the Most Unique Asset in Your Business
Tune in to hear:- As a student of great advisory practices, what are some of the consistent themes that Jackie encounters across the board? - Are there specific examples of advisors who have created a unique experiential piece for their clients. If so, what did these experiences look like?- Where do we get it wrong as an industry around some of the most discussed buzzwords?- What is a common misunderstanding about next generation investors?- How can one resolve the catch 22 of being intentional about crafting themselves as a brand while remaining authentic?- What exactly is human capital beyond its obvious connotations? What benefits can teams accrue by really focusing in on this?- How are advisors able to effectively standout and differentiate themselves when the services they offer are, realistically, quite similar to many of their competitors? - What is it that has allowed First Trust to build a successful business in the world of asset management at a time when many of the broader industry trends are going against them?https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiewilke Compliance Code: 0429-OAS-3/9/2022

Mar 3, 2022 • 56min
Dr. Meghaan Lurtz - The Empathic Future of Financial Advice: How Compassion is Revolutionizing Wealth Management
Tune in to hear:- Of the “36 questions that lead to love,” what are a few that Dr. Lurtz zeros in on and what makes these questions so powerful? Can these be applied in client-advisor relationships as well? - What is the peak end rule and how can understanding it help us set better goals with our clients?- As practitioners, how can we drive home the salience of our future selves both for ourselves and our clients?- How can we distinguish financial stress from financial anxiety and what are some client communication strategies to help manage this? - How is the financial advisor community doing, on average, in the face of the mental and fiscal adversity that came along with the global pandemic? - What can advisors do to better take care of themselves so that they are better positioned to care for their clients’ needs?https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghaanlurtzCompliance Code: 0229-OAS-2/4/2022

Feb 24, 2022 • 43min
Lauren Hunter - The Financial Impact of Death and Aging: Strategies for Planning Ahead
Tune in to hear:- What are some different attitudes about aging and death held across the world? How particular is the western attitude about these things relative to the rest of the world?- How do these attitudinal perspectives shift the concrete outcomes (e.g. levels of happiness and fulfillment) for people who are themselves aging?- Where should one begin if they would like to start incorporating more eastern ideas around death and not push back so much against the natural aging process?- In 12-15 years, America will have its most aged population yet. What are the societal implications for this national “greying” and are we prepared for the implications of this as a country?- What are the pros and cons of working past the traditional retirement age of 65?- How can we mentally prepare ourselves for retirement outside of a fixed savings benchmark?- Are there practical steps we can take to drive home the salience of the reality of our aging?- What is a potential colloquial definition of Existentialism and how can it be practically applied to improve one’s quality of life? - What are some good reading resources for applying existentialism practically? Instagram: @old_methuselahCompliance Code: 0216-OAS-2/2/2022

Feb 17, 2022 • 59min
Rob Gardner - Financial Wellness in a World Worth Living In
Tune in to hear:- Why is ESG such an important part of Rob’s financial practice?- How can we achieve financial wellness without merely paying lip service to things like environmentalism?- How can the average client strike an ideal balance of the three attributes of ESG? - Rob grew up in Argentina during a time of extreme inflation. What did these formative years in this environment teach him about financial wellness?- What practical steps can we take to reduce the wealth gap and ensure that less people are on the brink of a financial emergency?- What is our extreme hesitancy to have meaningful money conversations when it plays such a central role in living a happy and stable life?- What does Rob think the industry will look like 25 years from now?https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjgardner/?locale=es_ESCompliance Code: 0180-OAS-1/28/2022

Feb 10, 2022 • 49min
Michelle Arpin Begina - Rewriting Your Money Story: Proven Strategies for Financial Empowerment
Tune in to hear:- Now that she has space from it, and also expertise in the field, what were some of the factors that drove her parents to such conspicuous consumption?- Where do our money scripts originate from? Are we shaped definitively by our environment & upbringing or can we forge a new path for ourselves?- How did Michelle come to a place where she was more comfortable reckoning with her own money story and opening up about this to others?- How can we be aware of different life stages and make sure that we are meeting our clients where they’re at?- How can we normalize our clients’ money behavior without reinforcing maladaptive behaviors?- What is contextual self-control?www.michelleab.comCompliance Code: 0203-OAS-2/1/2022

Feb 3, 2022 • 43min
Spencer Jakab - Meme Stocks and Market Psychology: How Social Influence Shapes Investment Decisions
Tune in to hear:- What in particular about the environment, including the pandemic and lockdown, contributed to the sort of fervor and madness we saw around meme stocks like Gamestop?- Risk, excitement and novelty were somewhat systematically stripped from our lives during the initial quarantine - what role, if any, did this play in the meme stock phenomenon?- How did the trading apps themselves, and the gamification of trading, catalyze some of these behaviors?- Who is Keith Gill and how did he become so central to this movement?- How central to the phenomenon of Wall Street Bets was the moral dimension of “sticking it to the man?”- Many of these meme stocks are still soaring greatly above where they were 2-3 years ago, and yet Spencer thinks that this “revolution” is bound to fail. Why does he think this is the case?- Will the phenomenon of "Finfluencers" continue or will further regulation and other obstacles put an end to this?- Did many financial professionals use the Wall Street Bets phenomenon as a sort of Trojan Horse to benefit themselves?Twitter @spencerjakabhttps://spencerjakab.com/Compliance Code: 0158-OAS-1/25/2022

Jan 27, 2022 • 45min
Emily Guy Birken - Modern Money Management 101: Proven Strategies for Financial Freedom
Tune in to hear- Why did Emily feel the need to include elements of humor in her new book ‘Stacked: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management?’- What is “the one magical idea to rule them all” that Emily and Joe lay out in their book?- Do we ever need to do more digging to ensure that our financial goals are personal and authentic enough that they give us the fuel to take on the tough parts of saving and investing for our future?- Should we try to maximize our earning potential or crank up our thriftiness?- Since you can’t frugal your way to wealth - what practical tips does the book offer for increasing income or for diversifying income streams?- How do we educate folks about market histories and managing expectations without scaring them off from investing?- What is a money script? Why is understanding our own personal money script such an important step in getting started with investing? - How do we illuminate our money scripts if they are indeed unconscious?- In the process of researching and writing this book, did Emily change her mind about anything?www.emilyguybirken.comCompliance Code: 0147-OAS-1/24/2022

Jan 6, 2022 • 44min
James Fletcher - Exploring ESG and EM Investment Strategies with Ethos Invest
Tune in to hear:- Of all times to start a boutique fund, why would James start one in the current climate where the 3 largest asset managers control more of the market share than ever before?- What edge does a small, boutique asset manager have in a world where there are such well-resourced competitors?- How are ESG like suggestions typically met by the companies that James invests in?- What’s it like to run a high conviction fund? How does James think about conviction and diversification and what lead him to take this unusually concentrated approach?- Why does James think ESG screening is important and how, specifically, does he incorporate it into his process at Ethos?- How does James think about ESG and investing in countries where the bar for ESG is set very low?- What makes him think emerging markets, which have been priced attractively for many years now compared to the US and which have underperformed, are poised to do well in the future?https://ethosinvest.com/https://yis.org/ Compliance Code: 3115-OAS-12/15/2021

Dec 30, 2021 • 48min
Brendan Frazier - Understanding the Fuel and Friction Model of Behavioral Finance
Tune in to hear:- Behavioral Coaching is one of the most important things a financial professional can do for their client, yet surveys show that clients don’t put a lot of value on it. How can we bridge this gap and help our clients see how much value we can deliver here?- Brendan claims that many advisors are creating “reverse rapport” in their first client meetings. What does he mean by this and how are they getting it wrong?- How do we help our clients prepare for an uncertain future when not only the markets themselves, but also the market participants, are both so subject to change?- Might we be too focused on “igniting the fuel” of a client’s investment plan? Can removing friction be an equally, if not more, effective strategy to help them achieve their goals?www.wiredplanning.comCompliance Code: 3123-OAS-12/16/2021

Dec 23, 2021 • 53min
Phil Huber - Exploring the Case for Alternative Investments: A Smart Strategy for Financial Growth
Tune in to hear:- What are some potential arguments against a traditional 60/40 portfolio and how do they hold up?- How would Phil define alternative investments? Also, is their bad reputation deserved for any reason and where did this reputation originate from?- What are 2-3 potential criteria to help discern the which alts can act as legitimate diversifiers in your portfolio vs. those that might have some bad actors or ulterior motives?- What is one of the alternative investment strategies in Phil’s book that is often overlooked?- How should one think about a percentage allocation to alts in light of everything we’ve discussed? What does it take to really begin to see they difference they can make in your portfolio?- How does Phil think about things such as wine, art, cars and trading cards among the other alternative investment vehicles?- How should folks think about whether or not to invest in crypto at all? If they are committed to, and interested in investing in, crypto - which particular crypto alts should they consider buying?- How is Phil incorporating alts into his own portfolio?Twitter: @bipsandpiecesWeb: www.savantwealth.comCompliance Code: 3117-OAS-12/15/2021